g, machinery and
twenty-five fishing-boats. There's not a dollar against any part of it.
I guess you've looked me up already and you know I'm telling the truth.
If you give me an advance of twelve hundred and thirty-five dollars
I'll close right now and pay you any interest you want. But I've got to
have the money right now."

Dalton jerked out his watch.

"Hardly time," he answered. "Even if Dupont would O.K. it, which I
doubt."

Gregory was already at the telephone.

"I'll get him for you. Can you let me have the money if he says it's all
right?"

As Dalton nodded in affirmation, Gregory's eye fell upon the open watch
upon the desk. It lacked five minutes of four o'clock.

* * * * *

Mr. Dupont was seated in his private office puffing contentedly at a
long panatella when the door opened and the publicity man entered.

"What's new, Black? Anything?"

Black smiled and dropped into a chair.

"Nothing new," he said. "It's getting to be an old story. Every evening
paper in the city copied that fellow Hawkins' yarn in _The Times_ about
the sea fight at Diablo Island. Why, that man Gregory has enough free
publicity to elect him to Congress. And he's advertising on the strength
of it, like a department store. I was around to his service market a few
minutes ago and people were fighting to get within shouting distance of
the counter. I'd say he was a mighty good bet right now, Dupont. That
stuff has the town all lit up. If his output is anywhere near up to
standard I'd say it would be good business to tie him up and beat the
others to it."

As Mr. Dupont was about to speak, the telephone bell interrupted.

"Yes," he answered. "On the phone. Hello, Dalton.--What's that?--Yes, I
get you.--How's the stuff?--It is, eh? How's that?--I see.--What do you
think?--You would?--All right, Dalton. Sure, go ahead. Drop in at the
apartments when you get back. I want to have a look at that contract."

Mr. Dalton hung up the instrument and faced about. "You win," he
exclaimed. "Caught the old man just right. He'd have given me a month's
vacation on full pay if I'd have had the nerve to have asked for it." He
wrote the check hurriedly as he spoke and passed it over to Gregory with
the words: "And now, don't forget that you still have the contract to
sign."

Gregory took the check with shaking fingers, at a loss for words to
express fittingly his appreciation of the favor.

A moment later the d